1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die - #142. Johnny Cash - At San Quentin (1969)

142. Johnny Cash - At San Quentin (1969)

Johnny Cash - At San Quentin (1969)
Label – Columbia
Producer – Bob Johnson
Art Direction – Henry Fox
Nationality – USA
Running Time – 36:47

Track Listing (standout tracks listed in bold)
Wanted Man
Wreck of the Old 97
I Walk the Line
Darling Companion
Starkville City Jail
San Quentin
San Quentin
A Boy Named Sue
(There'll Be) Peace in the Valley
Folsom Prison Blues

“At San Quentin” is a recording of a live concert given by Johnny Cash to the inmates of San Quentin State Prison and is the other one of Johnny Cash’s prison recordings. The previous one (already reviewed here) was the highly successful “At Folsom Prison” album, so I’m sure it seemed like a no brainer to give it another shot to see if lightning would strike twice. Times were different this time around though. Cash’s long time guitarist Luther Perkins had passed, plus with the “At Folsom Prison” being such a smash success he was at arguably at the peak of his career. His personal life was at the brink of collapse, and he was again stepping into the unknown confines of a prison full of murder’s and thief’s. Perhaps that’s why this performance captured live on February 24, 1969 is Johnny Cash at his wildest and rawest.
Covers of the Lovin' Spoonful ("Darlin' Companion") and Bob Dylan (“Wanted Man”) are nestled in between tracks like "A Boy Named Sue," with Cash’s performance making the Shel Silverstein composition come alive and take a darker tone than the ‘cute’ lyrics might otherwise have been. He sounds that way throughout the record, and it’s brimming with excitement.
While I listened to the original 1969 version of the record, there was a 2000 re-release which added previously unreleased bonus tracks (doubling the album's length), and again in 2006 as a 3 disc set with a DVD! I’m sure they would further help make a case that this is the best Johnny Cash album ever. The album was nominated for a number of Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year and won Best Male Country Vocal Performance for "A Boy Named Sue".
It is recommended.